The Women’s League season preview: can anyone stop Saltmarsh?
Eight clubs, four players to watch and our prediction for the table.
The Women's League starts its new season on Sunday with eight teams, a new television deal and a question that everyone is asking: can anyone stop Saltmarsh? Here is our guide to every club, the players to watch and our prediction for the table.
The favourites
Saltmarsh won the league and the cup last season. They keep most of their squad, including the goalkeeper Ingrid Holm and the midfielder Bea Lindqvist. Their style is patient and controlled. The danger is complacency.
Ironworks finished second, beaten by one goal on the last day. They have signed two forwards and their new manager, Joanne Pike, wants them to press higher. If it works, they are the strongest challengers.
The middle
Riverside Rovers Women have a new ground share with the men's team and should see bigger crowds. Northgate have the league's best young players, several from their own academy. Harbour City have a new coach and a lot of new faces; they could finish anywhere from third to sixth.
The fight at the bottom
Kingsbridge, Millbrook and the newly promoted Elmwood Ladies will probably fight to avoid the bottom place. Elmwood won the second division by eleven points, and their captain, Sophie Grant, scored thirty-one goals. Whether that works one level up is the most interesting question of the season.
Players to watch
- Hana Sato, Ironworks. Fast, two-footed and calm in front of goal. Scored fourteen last season.
- Bea Lindqvist, Saltmarsh. Controls the tempo of every game she plays.
- Amira Haddad, Northgate. Seventeen years old. A centre-back who reads the game like a veteran.
- Sophie Grant, Elmwood Ladies. Thirty-one goals in the second division. Can she do it here?
Our prediction
- Ironworks
- Saltmarsh
- Northgate
- Riverside Rovers Women
- Harbour City
- Elmwood Ladies
- Kingsbridge
- Millbrook
Saltmarsh are the better team on paper. Ironworks are the hungrier team. Over a long season, hunger usually wins.
Ellie Bramwell
Key dates
- Opening weekend, 16–17 August: Ironworks host Saltmarsh in the first big game of the season.
- 14 December: the last round before the winter break.
- 1 February: the league restarts, with four rounds in four weeks.
- 15 March: the all-star game at Northern Stadium, North against South.
- 24 May: the final round. Last season, the title was decided on the last day.
The winter break is new this season. The players asked for it, after three games last January were cancelled because of frozen pitches.
How to watch
Every match is shown live on the league's free streaming service, and two games a month on regional television. Tickets cost £5 for adults and £1 for children at every ground. It is the best value football in the region.
